2011 Summer Road Trip - Day 23

We got up this morning after a restless night.  I think Katie slept pretty well on the couch, but since I slept with Jack AND Reese, I felt like I'd been hit by a truck!  We did manage to get up and ready by 11am, then met Queenie for lunch at Ward's, a local hamburger joint.  This review on Metromix tells you all you need to know about the restaurant:

Ward's is a country burger and breakfast franchise that began in Hattiesurg. The Ward brothers, two twins, opened their restaurant with no idea it would become what it is today. Not a choice if you're in need of healthy fare or have an active afternoon planned. The famous chili sits a top their famous "Big One" or "Lil One" (dressed with lettuce, onions, mustard, mayo) and has a truly original and unforgettable flavor. Try without chili as well for a "lighter version." It must be accompanied by their famous homemade root beer or coke float with homemade ice cream, and fries. Their old fashioned red chili dogs are long and strong in flavor of course. They have a taco salad, including their chili, that's a popular choice too. The breakfast is also a frequented meal, with a famous sausage biscuit, bacon biscuit, country grits to name a few items.

I didn't have the root beer or the coke float, since I don't like either one, but I did have a Big One and drink a Coke in a frosted mug.  Delicious!  If you're ever in Southern Mississippi make sure to stop by for a bite to eat!

We got on the road for New Orleans at about 1pm.  We had to pick David up at the airport at 3:15pm, so we were running right on time.  The trip went by quickly, and before I knew it we were in New Orleans,  EARLY!  Yay for us!

Since we were so early I decided to stop by the New Orleans City Park. We got a glimpse of this park on our trip to New Orleans last year, and I was dying to go back!  We stopped by the sculpture garden this time since we didn't have much time today.  I got some awesome photos of the sculptures and of the kids, too.

David called when he landed at the airport and we loaded up so we could go get him.  I expected it would take about ten minutes since we were only six miles away.  Boy, was I wrong!  While we were at the park the traffic backed up terribly!  It took us over half an hour to get to the airport!

After picking David up we headed to Mikel and Serena's house in Hammond.  We were really excited to get to see them!  It's been a whole year!  Av & Ai, their children, have grown so much! Av is going to first grade in the fall, and Ai is so big now!  I babysat both of them when they lived in Arkansas, and I have missed them since they moved.

Mikel had a 'boys' night out planned for David and some of his other friends, so they left shortly after we arrived.  Serena and I sat in the back yard with the kids and let them play in the pool.  It was a nice, relaxing night.  The boys got in really late, but we waited up for them.  They had a great time out, and I'm sure the break from the daily grind was nice.  As for my other 'boy', we just smooth wore him out...